The FY2016 Community-based Marine Debris Removal program was developed to fund locally-driven:

Marine debris prevention

Marine debris assessment

Marine debris removal

Approved projects are expected to use on-the-ground removal activities prioritizing projects targeting medium-large-scale debris. All projects are expected to benefit coastal communities and create long-term improvements. $2,000,000 is available for allocation with typical awards ranging between $50,000 and $150,000. The main objective of this program is to provide financial and technical assistance to experts to identify, evaluate and execute marine debris removal projects and promote marine debris awareness, prevention, and tangible project outcomes.

Applicants should propose a three year plan with expected completion of two years from the start date of the award and monitoring activities during the third year. Eligible applicants include:

State governments

Local governments

Tribal governments

Higher education institutions

Nonprofit organizations

Commercial organizations

Eligible applicant are experts in marine debris related fields. All project sites must be located within the U.S., U.S. territories, or their respective waterways. Applicants are required to provide a minimum 1:1 ratio of non-Federal matching contributions with federal funds not exceeding 50% of the total cost of the project. However, matching requirements may be waived if applicants meet the following requirements:

Reasonable means are not available to meet the matching requirement

The benefit of the project outweighs the public interest of the matching requirement

The application packet can be obtained from the Grants.gov website with the application instructions. Applications should be detailed and include the following:

Project summary

Budget

Resumes

Maps

Support letters

SF-424 Form

CD-511 Certifications

SF-LLL

Paper copies may be submitted if Grants.gov cannot reasonably be used or internet access is not available.

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